Corrupt
by Brigette Janine
Summary: The voices had been in his head since he entered the ark. At first, they were whispers, unintelligible murmurs. Then words began forming, never…forgive…hate. One-shot about what really hapened to Cross. Spoilers through chapter 167. R&R please!


Hey guys! Brigette Janine here posting a one-shot when I should be finishing Silent Music (oh, ps. check it out =D)

The idea came from my wild theory that Cross isn't dead at the end of chapter 167. This is what I think happens.

The title came from my first attempt to send it to A Girl Called Tennessee to proofread. I asked if she read it, and apparently the file I sent her was corrupted, so her computer wouldn't let it open. Thus came the title, "Corrupt"

So that's it except for the disclaimer...Me no own.

Enjoy!

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The voices had been in his head since he entered the ark. At first, they were whispers, unintelligible murmurs. Then words began forming, _never…forgive…hate_. The words had meant nothing to him then; it was the ark playing tricks with him. After the ark was restored, the voices had grown louder. That night, the dreams began. They were dark, showing him a horrendous future…or past? The feeling of pure anger swept over him, consuming him. He always woke up in a cold sweat and had taken to sleeping with Judgment under his pillow, clasped loosely in his hand.

He knew he had the genes of the Noah. The truth was, the 14th had pointed them out the first time they met. He had said, "You carry the memories of Wrath, but they're buried in your good heart. You will awaken, if at all, if there's a shortage among the Noah."

He hadn't noticed the stigmata either. The entire time he was in that meeting, he had felt something dripping down by his temple. He was enjoying watching Leverrier squirm so much, he hadn't noticed. It was only when he returned to his room that he noticed the faint cuts on his forehead. He brushed his long red hair over his face. He had to laugh; those bastards at Central watching him had no idea.

They questioned him about the 14th, but this was to be expected. He pitied the kid, taking the heat. The 14th wasn't nearly as awake in Allen as the memories of Wrath were in him. When they moved the location of headquarters, he had requested to speak with Allen. The truth was, there wasn't much time left before the Noah inside awakened fully.

His apprentice walked in, bound by eight different spells. Each spell was woven soundly; they weren't taking any chances with the kid. He had to smile, they were concerned about a fifteen-year old boy with a partially awakened Noah, and somehow managed to be completely oblivious to the skilled fighter with a Noah on the verge of waking up.

It pained him to see the hurt and uncertainty in his apprentice. The kid led a rough life, no doubt about it. In retrospect, the life was made no easier by his own habits. He walked in, bound like a dangerous convict, his silver eyes wide open and honest. The 14th never had eyes that honest. He stood looking out the window, watching the fog roll in over the river.

Allen's voice cut through the silence, "Mana had some connection with the 14th, didn't he?"

The kid always cut to the chase. No _Master, what's going on?_ or _Master, what have you done?_ The kid had always been mature, which was one of the things that made those four years interesting. "Yes," he replied simply, "The 14th had an older brother. There was only one person who was with the 14th up until he betrayed the Millennium Earl and was killed. That was Mana Walker."

Allen's eyes shut for a moment, "Brothers…Mana and the 14th," He looked directly at his master's reflection in the window, "You knew about this all along." It wasn't a question.

"I did," he admitted, "When the 14th died, I promised him I'd watch over Mana. If I did, he'd come back to Mana someday." He could feel the emotions of Wrath seeping into his body. _Not now_, he thought, _just a few more minutes_. "You promised me that Allen," the Noah was slowly taking control, "or should I say the 14th?" He turned to face Allen. The look on his young apprentice's face snapped him back to reality, something he was never able to thank him for. He explained, "He probably hasn't fully awakened, but you've started feeling the 14th, within you, haven't you Allen?"

Allen was stunned, "Huh?" he muttered, "What're you-"

The Noah jumped in again, "Don't play dumb," he snarled, "You knew the Player's song. That's his memories." He massaged his forehead, forcing the Noah back in his mind before he dealt the crucial blow, "You had the 14th's memories implanted in you. You're the host necessary for his revival." Allen was dumbstruck by his master's words, but he continued with the explanation, "The reason you knew the Player's song and were able to play the piano, even though you never had before is because it wasn't you. Those were the 14th's memories. You saw something, didn't you?"

He looked at his apprentice. Unfortunately, the silver eyes that were usually full of life and questions were glazed over in confusion. He snapped his fingers, "Hey," he called. He massaged his forehead again. The Noah was beginning to become similar to a sick headache. Allen didn't respond, so he raised his right hand and smacked him soundly across the face, "This conversation won't get anywhere if you just lie there."

"That…hurt," called Allen from the floor. He sat up, his eyes still confused, "I'm implanted," he stated, "When?"

He recognized the question, "Huh? Oh, I have no idea," he admitted.

"WHAT?!"

"Wait," he said drily, the Noah headache growing gradually worse, "I think I know. Probably before the 14th died."

"I don't know when that was!" shouted Allen.

"What," he said, taking a draw from the cigarette burning in his hand, "I said I was sorry. Get over it." He moved the cigarette to the other side of his mouth, "I never quite believed it myself. Until you appeared, that is." He sat down on the rug and looked his apprentice in the eye, "His life was hellish after he tried to kill the Earl. He and Mana were constantly on the run, engaged in a life or death battle with the Noah. The 14th didn't have time to dwell on 'who' or 'when', when he got the chance, he chose whoever was nearby as a host so he could kill the Earl with his own hands."

"And," Allen said, looking at the design in the rug, "that's me?"

"You were unlucky. The implanted memories will eventually erode the host and you will change into the 14th." He looked, trying to discern the look on the boy's face, "There have been signs, haven't there?"

Allen dropped his head and chuckled darkly, "So that's what that was. What the hell…When Mana said he loved me, did he mean me? Or…? Which was it?"

He looked at his apprentice. Over the course of his apprenticeship, he thought he had seen every emotion play across that boy's face from anger to zeal. This was a completely different look. It wasn't hopelessness, despair, sadness, hate or disappointment. It was something else.

"Mana kind of lost it after his brother died," he started, not sure where the sentence would lead, "Who knows if he even remembered the past or not? At least, I couldn't tell." He looked at the boy, so innocent, yet at the same time, more jaded than some adults, "It's ironic I never thought it would be a kid like this." He wrapped his apprentice in an embrace. Over the four years they had travelled, he realized, a sort of bond had formed. It wasn't a father-son bond, but it definitely went past the master-apprentice bond. "He should have chosen some good-for-nothing as his host." Allen started at the show of emotion, but accepted the warmth. He needed the support right now.

He was surprised to see tears rolling down the young boy's cheeks. "Jeez. I guess I can't make fun of Tiedoll anymore," and tightened the hug, comforting Allen like a hurt child. He hesitated to say the next part, "What would you do…if I told you…that you'd have to kill someone you loved when you become the 14th?" All at the same time, Allen jerked his head up, the CROW members began swooping in to carry him away, and his Noah headache reached a new peak.

"Wait," called Allen as he was being dragged away by CROW, "what do you mean I'm going to kill someone I love? Master!"

He pushed open the door, "Listen to the 14th. There's another side to this war, don't die before it's over this time."

The CROW member at the door said gruffly, "Your time is up, please leave the room."

"Shut up," he snapped, "I know."

"Master," called Allen, "you can't just say something like that and leave." He paid no attention. "Wait you idiot!"

He hurled Timcampy at Allen, "Sorry," he muttered darkly, "I couldn't hear you."

"Wh-when I joined this organization, I swore to Mana that I'd never stop walking until I died. I'm the one who swore!" He shuddered, trying to maintain composure, "I don't know…how much I've been influenced by the 14th's memories. And honestly, I don't know how to take the news about Mana, but," he looked his master in the eye, "I still love him. These feelings come from my heart…from the real me. So I'm going to keep my promise to Mana. That's what I've decided. I don't care about the 14th. I won't let him have this," he put his hand over his heart.

He nodded and shut the door behind him. Restraining the Noah was beginning to cause him actual pain now. He turned into his room and the CROW member took his place outside.

He didn't turn on any lights, but stumbled to the counter and poured himself a glass of red wine. He took a sip, and realizing it was the run-of-the-mill swill Central had been giving him, downed the entire glass. The stigmata were bleeding freely now, and his vision was being overlapped by scenes of the apocalypse. He poured himself another glass of wine and sat by the window, watching the rain. It was coming down hard now. He had always loved rain, for whatever reason. Maybe because rain washed everything clean; or maybe because it blurred the lines of what you normally saw. For whatever reason, he enjoyed bad weather. He thought back to the meeting. "He's gotten so cheeky," he muttered, "I guess it hasn't been all bad for him." He wiped the blood dripping down his forehead when there was a knock on a door. He reached for Judgment at his thigh holster when he realized the knocking wasn't coming from the door into his room.

He felt a familiar malevolent presence, "That you, Earl?" he called.

The rotund man stepped out of thin air. His eyes widened when he saw the General sitting before him, "Cross Marian," he murmured, "you can't be the child to replace Skinn could you?"

He lifted his hair from his forehead, revealing stigmata, "Sorry to disappoint you, fatso, but it is me."

"So insolent," the Earl chided, "You've been restraining the Noah for so long, let it take over."

He laughed, "Fat chance, old man. I might come with you, but know this. When the 14th comes along, it won't just be him trying to kill you."

"The 14th?" asked the Earl, "what do you mean he's coming back? I killed him!"

"Memories don't die, fool. Even if the body dies, the memories live on in a chosen host."

The Earl's eyes widened, "Who is it?"

"You know," he said, stretching, "I might just let the Noah take over. Then again, it doesn't know the host for the 14th, so he should be safe." The stigmata began bleeding profusely, seeping under his mask. He felt Judgment shake and grow hot in his hand. He tossed the revolver he had fought with so often aside. He wouldn't be able to use it anymore. He felt rage boil inside him, arching his back. Blood sprayed over the room, coming from his mouth and forehead. His skin crawled as the stigmata became permanently etched in his skin. He looked at his hand as it turned from a worn tan to a dark grey.

He coughed up blood one more time and hung his head between his legs. "Well, that was unpleasant." The Earl stared in amazement at the new Noah of Wrath. The stigmata across his forehead were covered by his hair, which had kept it vibrant red color. He still wore that mask and his left eye was a bright gold.

Taking another step forward, the new Noah's foot nudged the discarded anti-akuma weapon. The Innocence, in a combination of self-defense and offensive maneuvers, fired at its former accommodator. The bullet struck on the right side of his face, cracking the mask.

The Noah fell back onto the window bench, the Innocence causing him immense pain. The Earl vanished as the door was slammed open by a CROW agent. His eyes widened at the sight of the General lying slumped over and covered in blood. "Call the supervisor, now!" The door slammed closed again.

He lifted his head, his mind still reeling from the attack by Judgment. Leverrier was going to be here soon. If they found out, the blame would no doubt be placed on Allen. He balled a fist and cracked the window behind him. He leaned backward, aiming for the river below. The mask fell off as he slid out the window, the glass dragging cuts in his back,

_Good luck, idiot apprentice_, he thought, _and know you've chosen the right path._

And that is how Cross Marian became the next Noah of Wrath.

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Review!!!! Please! Tell me what you think!

Next chapter of Silent music going up tonight!!

~~BJ


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